Students now have a place to learn about different cultures and diversity issues on campus.

Faculty, staff and students attended the dedication ceremony of the new Multicultural Center in the Memorial Union on Tuesday.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy praised the hard work and dedication of the students and faculty who initiated the creation of the Multicultural Center.

Geoffroy said there are more than 45 organizations on campus that cater to different ethnic groups, and giving them a centralized location will only strengthen their influence.

Geoffroy said the center will not only help Iowa State but also society as a whole.

“Increasing our diversity at Iowa State is a top priority,” he said “Because in every way you can think of it helps us fulfill our mission to serve the good of society.”

Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs, praised the hard work of the students to create the Multicultural Center. He compared the creation of the Multicultural Center to the student-led initiative to name the football stadium after Jack Trice.

Hill emphasized the power students have to create new traditions and facilities on campus that faculty and staff are not able to wield.

“When students decide something’s going to happen, it happens,” Hill said.

Hill gave a special thanks to Richard Reynolds, director of the Memorial Union, for allowing the Multicultural Center to be located at the union.

Hill said the Multicultural Center belongs at the Union because it is the center of student activity on campus.

Hill emphasized the growing need for the Multicultural Center. He said the fall 2008 undergraduate class was the most diverse class Iowa State has ever had.

Tameka Green, senior in art and design, said she wants the facility to be a safe place for others to learn about different cultures.

“This facility should be a place of learning, in regards to cultural and race relations for the university, not just a place where people can come and meet,” she said. “This should be a place of learning for the person that doesn’t know anything about race relations.”

Dione Somerville, dean of students, said this will prove Iowa State’s commitment to diversity on campus and show how seriously the university takes multiculturalism.

“Hopefully this will help demonstrate to people that we truly do value diversity and that we value our multiculturalism. This isn’t something catchy we put in our Web site or something flashy we put in a recruitment brochure,” she said.

Reynolds said students had total control of the designing the vacant space once held by the Student Alumni Association. Reynolds said the renovation of the space cost $1.1 million. He also said since fall 2007, a $3 fee is billed to the tuition of all college students to fund the center. It will last until the fall of 2017.